


Ferox Luna Meum

by jaeyongficfest, shizukanai



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha!Jaehyun, Alpha!Yunho, Bae Joohyun | Irene - Freeform, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten - Freeform, Emissary!Irene, Emissary!Jaejoong, Jung Soojung | Krystal - Freeform, Jung Sooyeon | Jessica - Freeform, Jung Yunho/Kim Jaejoong - Freeform, Kind of enemies to lovers, Ko Eun - Freeform, M/M, Mentioned Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee - Freeform, Romance, Second in Command!Jung Soojung | Krystal, Second in Command!Jung Sooyeon | Jessica, Slow Build, Strangers to Lovers, graphic description of violence, teenwolf!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27490327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaeyongficfest/pseuds/jaeyongficfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shizukanai/pseuds/shizukanai
Summary: In the middle of struggling to deal with his mother's passing and controlling his fairly new awoken Alpha instincts, reputable werewolf Jaehyun finds himself confronted by yet another challenge as the vengeful matriarch of an old hunter family sets a hefty bounty on him for killing her niece. And the person his oldest siblings have chosen to be his bodyguard is a fierce human with a silver tongue and absolutely no qualms about challenging his control, or anything in this world, for that matter.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	Ferox Luna Meum

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt is very complex, so it was quite a challenge for me personally but I'm someone who has a lot of fun thinking of details and trying to connect everything to each other, so I loved working on this story. I tried to incorporate as many things from the points mentioned in the prompt as possible and I hope that the prompter will like it. Thank you for this!

_ Thump. Thump. _

Jaehyun growls upon hearing a sharp, pained grunt join the sound of Taeyong’s erratic heartbeat, the smell of freshly drawn blood which comes from the human’s direction unleashing a level of rage within him which feels entirely foreign. It’s fury which drives him forward through heavy steps, his own injuries and pain forgotten at the sight of the large wound across Taeyong’s stomach.

But Taeyong is nothing if not a fighter. And despite the blood seeping into his clothes and the sweat starting to cover his forehead thanks to how strenuous it has gotten for him to move, the human’s eyes still hold the fierceness Jaehyun has always been fascinated by and has gradually learned to adore.

“You are really going to betray your own kind for creatures your family has spent generations on taming?” The huntress is looking at him in such a derogatory way that it makes Jaehyun’s hackles rise on Taeyong’s behalf. “Your father was killed by one of these beasts!”

“He was killed by an Omega who was driven to insanity after hunters like you killed his pack!” Taeyong bites back viciously, the pace of his breathing turning more irregular after the outburst. “You destroyed hundreds of lives over nonsensical and outdated beliefs, but today, it’s your turn.”

The words must have been spoken to her often enough, because the hunter matriarch’s first reaction is to let her lips curl up in a smug grin. She is underestimating him.

‘Good,’ Jaehyun thinks, because the less-decent side of him wants to see the smugness drop from her face the moment she realizes just how wrong she is with her assessment of him. She wouldn’t be the first.

He makes his way towards them with calm, calculated steps and locks gazes with the huntress when she notices him approaching, not losing sight of her even as he goes to stand by Taeyong’s side and place a steadying hand onto the other’s back. The huntress’ smirk turns into an ugly sneer when she catches the movement.

“Is that why you are doing this?” She glances at where Jaehyun’s arm disappears behind Taeyong. “Have you made yourself these creatures’ bitch?”

Jaehyun roars in warning, the heavy sound traveling miles away.

“No,” Taeyong replies easily, his lips curving up into a smirk when he notices the huntress’ nephew turning to look at him. “I’m doing this because I want to make lowlives like you my bitch.”

“You insolent, little brat!” But before the matriarch can attack, her nephew is already rushing forward with his crossbow aimed right at Taeyong, his face distorted into a grimace of fury.

The Alpha barely catches Taeyong’s whispered ‘impulsive dumb kid’ as he rushes forward seconds before he is stopped by Taeyong’s hands which pull him down onto the ground along with the human who throws his own body over Jaehyun’s as an arrow brushes by them. Jaehyun is about to ask what he is doing when he catches Soojung’s familiar growl, almost missing the sight of her grabbing the young hunter’s neck from behind as he completely left his back open for attack by mindlessly rushing towards Taeyong.

The crunch of his neck breaking is almost deafening before it is drowned out by the matriarch’s cry of rage over seeing her nephew’s lifeless body drop to the ground. He can hear the sound of a gun cocking even before he actually sees the weapon being aimed at his sister. A split second afterwards, he catches Taeyong’s movement-blurred form sprinting forward to come to Soojung’s aid; Jaehyun’s heart skipping a beat at the sight of the gun finding its new target in Taeyong.

“Taeyong!”

•••

  
  


“Lee Taeyong,” Jaehyun warily repeats the name mentioned by his oldest sister, struggling to not let his displeasure over having his two oldest siblings suggest for him to get a ‘bodyguard’ like he was some damsel in distress show in his voice. “The name sounds familiar.”

“You’ve most likely heard about him once or twice,” Sooyeon says from where she is sitting across from him, her long chestnut brown hair thrown over her shoulders like a smooth veil. “He assisted quite a few packs around here and I’m pretty sure that you unconsciously heard Yunho mention him when the whole chimera debacle was going on last month.”

The young Alpha raises his eyebrows in return before looking over to the adjacent kitchen where the oldest of his siblings is nursing a glass of whiskey which he knows would have no effect on Yunho.

But his two oldest siblings have always liked drinking for the taste rather than the intoxicating effects.

“He helped you?”

Yunho hums in response as he leans back against the kitchen counter, the position he is in allowing for the sunray shining through the kitchen window to illuminate him in a way which almost makes his hair look like the darker shade of brown the older Alpha’s fiancé has always wanted him to dye them in rather than the black he was born with. “We asked him for some advice. His knowledge about the supernatural world is impeccable and the information his family has gathered over centuries finally serves a good cause thanks to him and his parents.”

Albeit being mentioned breathily like an afterthought, the last bit immediately catches Jaehyun’s attention as his eyebrows furrow questioningly. “What cause did they serve before?”

Yunho exchanges a swift glance with Sooyeon before looking straight at him, his jaw tightening for a brief moment. “To kill people like us.”

Jaehyun’s eyes narrow at the information. “A hunter?”

“Taeyong himself was never one of them,” Sooyeon clarifies as Yunho moves to rejoin them at the head of the table. “His parents are redeemed hunters and they raised their son to be a protector, not a hunter.”

Yunho’s gaze softens as he sees the struggle written all over his brother’s face, his voice gentle as he decides to intervene. “Mother trusted them.”

Jaehyun feels a knot form in his throat at the mention of their mother, the pain of losing her still too fresh. He feels Soojung, the second youngest among the four siblings, placing a comforting hand onto his arm from where she’s seated to his left. “How did mother know them?”

“They were pretty well-known and active all over the country back then. They assisted several packs during conflicts and mother requested their assistance several times.”

“Mother requested their help?”

“Quite often,” Sooyeon emphasizes with a kind smile. “And I’d say that she was a good judge of character, don’t you agree?”

Jaehyun intertwines his hands in front of him on the table with his gaze lowered towards them in an empty stare. He can practically feel instincts and reason battling it out within him as he allows for his siblings’ words to sink in.

After a long pause, he turns to Sooyeon with a small, broken smile. “Yes, yes she was.”

Her gaze softens like it rarely does for anyone else other than her siblings and her parents.

“Trust me, asking for his assistance is the best you can do right now,” Yunho gestures towards the laptop sitting in front of Jaehyun, the list of bounties holding several supernatural beings’ names still displayed there with his own name glaring back at him in a similar shade of red as his eyes when shifted. “Park Yumi is the matriarch to an old hunter family and you managed to take down her niece, so she won’t stop coming after you until one of you is dead. A bounty as high as the one she set on you will lure in all kinds of people and creatures and Taeyong knows more than enough about them to give you the help and additional protection you need.”

“Additional protection,” Jaehyun muses, the words leaving a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

Although it has been almost a year now since he came to his Alpha powers and had the unfamiliar Alpha instincts awakened within him, he is still struggling to tame them in favor of rational thinking more often than he would like. The prospect of depending on someone else’s help in protecting the people he should be more than capable of protecting himself makes his skin crawl.

At his brother’s obvious hesitancy, Yunho leans forward. “I know how strongly your instincts are protesting against this, but being the Alpha and protector of your pack also means doing everything in your power to keep them safe and that includes making use of all means available to you. Whether you like it or not is secondary, what must come first is what’s best for your pack and your pack, in this very moment, needs additional protection.”

Meeting his brother’s gaze head-on, Jaehyun feels his muscles tense in an effort to fight against his instincts to protest and maybe even challenge Yunho’s words. But then remembers the encounter they had with Park Yumi’s niece, Park Jihyun, not too long ago and briefly notices the subtle way in which Soojung’s right hand goes to her left upper arm, sneaking underneath her long pitch black hair so her thumb can caress the spot where Park Jihyun managed to strike her with a wolfsbane bullet just before Jaehyun overpowered the huntress and put an end to not only her ambush, but also her life.

Watching the bullet strike her was one of the most terrifying moments he ever had to live through and he does not want a repeat of that ever again. And if Lee Taeyong can help with that, then he’s willing to give it a try.

And so, he concedes with a hesitant nod.

“I will arrange a meeting,” Yunho looks visibly relieved at Jaehyun’s acceptance. “We can use mine and Jaejoong’s house as a neutral ground where you and your pack can get to know Taeyong.”

Jaehyun nods, a small smile of gratitude finding its way on his lips. “Thank you.”

The older Alpha merely smiles in return. “Tell me when you’ll be free and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Okay.”

•••

“You made the right decision.”

Jaehyun spares Soojung a brief glance upon hearing her voice before his eyes are back on the street ahead of him.

She hasn’t said much throughout the whole meet-up with their older siblings because, in all honesty, Soojung isn’t someone to say much to anything. She is more of an observer rather than a commentator and her observative nature has helped Jaehyun assess strangers as well as several tricky situations before. To have her as his second also means that he never has to go anywhere without those skills. No one would ever expect him to go anywhere without his emissary and his second if it’s related to pack business.

“Yeah?”

She hums in response, her eyes taking in the buildings and people they are driving past. “You know I would have protested in your stead if I didn’t think it was a good idea. Our pack is strong, but not invincible.”

A pregnant silence befalls them, only the ticking of the indicator breaking through it as Jaehyun gets ready to turn right towards their shared house.

“Yunho and Sooyeon wouldn’t have chosen just anyone for us,” she continues, fogging up the window with her breath to draw a small smiley face there. “Those two are the most open-minded yet least audacious people I know. They wouldn’t risk our safety for anything.”

“I know, it’s just hard.”

Soojung looks at him with a kind smile. “I know it is. And I’m proud of you for agreeing to it nevertheless, Yoonoh.”

Letting out a sigh, Jaehyun throws her a mildly annoyed look. “I told you to not call me that anymore. I changed my name for a reason.”

She flashes him an impish grin before her focus is back on what’s outside, obviously proud of herself for coaxing that reaction out of him.

She may be his second, but first and foremost, she’s still the older sister who smeared mayonnaise into his hair when he refused to eat the sandwich she made for him when he was ten. 

•••

It’s only two days after the brief meet-up with Yunho and Sooyeon that Jaehyun once again finds himself sitting in his brother’s house. But this time around, he is surrounded by his pack with its members lounging on the couch along with some snacks Jaejoong had kindly prepared for them.

“You’re fidgeting,” Soojung says from next to him where she’s sitting with her legs crossed and a magazine draped over her lap.

Looking down at his fingers, he realizes that he has unconsciously given in to his habit of playing around with the ring his mother has gifted to him for graduation, not too long before she passed away. He takes a deep breath and leans back with his fingers now intertwined before taking a look at the clock hanging by the entrance. His eyes have barely left the device before the ringing of the doorbell resonates through the lower floor.

It’s Jaejoong who springs up from where he is seated between Yunho and Sooyeon to answer the door as both packs’ momentary representative. Although this meeting’s focus is on Jaehyun’s pack, this is still Yunho’s house and as the older Alpha’s emissary and mate, the duty of welcoming guests and representing all of them during this rather formal event naturally falls on Jaejoong.

Lingering at the entrance so everyone has the time to make themselves more presentable, Jaejoong scans the room with a smile and only turns around to open the front door when everyone has settled down more properly.

Their eyes all linger on the wooden barrier being pushed open, rising to their feet only after they catch the sight of a figure stepping through it.

Jaehyun remembers his brother telling him that his chosen bodyguard is around his age and while he does look very much his age, he has an aura around himself which speaks of a lot of life experience.

A chiseled face structure and silver hair frame big eyes, a small nose and plump lips which are drawn into a neutral smile. He can see a scar next to his right eye, its shape strangely reminding him of a rose. But what catches his attention the most next to the authoritative air surrounding him, are the eyes themselves. They are captivating and Jaehyun recognizes a fierceness within them which reminds him of his mother’s whenever she was gearing up for a fight.

And yet, his build is far from what Jaehyun had expected to find in someone who has made it his profession to protect others. Don’t get him wrong, when it comes to the supernatural part of the population, your physical appearance does not say much about what you can do but hunters are traditionally painfully human and dependant on their physical strength; which he doesn’t think the man in front of him can offer much of by how small he looks in comparison to him and Yunho.

His height is, if not put into relation to his own or Yunho’s, not bad, but where his own shirt would outline his muscles, the other man’s fit him loosely.

He must have been more obvious in his observation than he thought, because the next thing he knows, the other’s piercing gaze is directed right at him.

“This is Lee Taeyong,” Jaejoong starts as he comes to stand next to the newcomer, his gaze and smile equally open and kind as looks at each of the pack members. “He is going to be a temporary fixture in the pack for an indefinite period. He’s helped out a lot of packs before, including ours, and has specialized in several fields over the years including defense against as well as protection for supernaturals, weapons and spells and rituals.”

“Spells and rituals?” Jaehyun blurts out before he can help himself.

But Taeyong doesn’t seem fazed by his mild outburst. “Knowledge about spells and rituals, more like. I can’t perform magic like some magical users do, but I’ve worked often enough with them to assist.”

After Jaehyun has recognized the human’s words with a nod as well as a polite smile, Jaejoong decides to take that as the opportunity to start introducing the pack. “You know Yunho and Sooyeon already and you have probably seen Jaehyun’s picture on the list of bounties, but I might as well introduce you properly.”

Taeyong listens attentively to the emissary’s introduction of the pack while aligning their faces to the information Jaejoong is giving out as well as the things he has known prior to this.

He has heard about and seen a lot of the late Alpha Jung and her four children in the past, so even before the two youngest among the siblings are being introduced to him properly, he can perfectly pinpoint not only Jaehyun but also Soojung within the group of people.

Jaehyun is the youngest among the four siblings and while his features do possess the trademark sharpness of the Jung family Taeyong has seen a lot of before, he seems to be the only one who also has a significant amount of softness mixed into them. Which is not a bad thing, it actually makes him seem easier to approach although Taeyong knows the wrong type of approaches to have ended fatally for some people even before Jaehyun became an Alpha.

The pack’s emissary is a rather tiny, young woman named Irene who is in possession of a penetrating stare and a face as well as skin so fair that she almost reminds Taeyong of Snow White with how her pitch black hair frames her face; a stark contrast to her pale skin and red lips. Next to her abilities, Taeyong can see how she would impress other packs with her outward charisma and naturally powerful demeanor.

Standing next to her is Ten, the pack’s second oldest beta and, from what Taeyong can recall hearing, a specialist in close combat. He is one head taller than Irene and has a lithe build which reminds Taeyong very much of his own and while his smile seems kind, the calculating look he sports betrays a certain depth to his character which Taeyong thinks should not be taken lightly.

Between Ten and Soojung, there are relatively young-looking betas named Mark, Haechan and Koeun. It’s rather endearing how Jaejoong refers to them as the pack’s ‘pups’, since they are the youngest. Despite their age, Mark and Koeun emit a high sense of maturity and calmness which balances out Haechan, who seems to beam with extra energy and mischief.

Mark is a little taller than Ten but their overall physical build are pretty similar with Mark being on the slightly more muscular side judging by the way tight-fitted his long-sleeved shirt accentuates his arm muscles. Haechan only has a few centimeters of disadvantage in height compared to Mark and is a little bigger in build, his soft features and slightly rounded face forming an endearing contrast to the older beta’s chiseled face.

Haechan is not a born wolf, news about his unwilling transformation thanks to a rogue Alpha having travelled fast and far a few months back. From what Taeyong recalls, it had been Mark who brought his best friend to Jaehyun and asked for his help after finding out about what happened. Jaehyun, who had come to his Alpha powers only a few months before that, had killed the rogue Alpha in a strenuous fight to break the hold he had on Haechan so the young beta could settle down in his chosen pack with a peaceful mind.

He spares Haechan and Mark’s intertwined pinky fingers a brief glance and shoots Mark a quick grin when he notices the older beta automatically moving to cover his younger packmate halfway upon noticing it. Some might assume that his protectiveness stems from their deep friendship or even Mark’s guilt over being unable to prevent Haechan’s unwilling transformation, especially because it had been Mark’s scent on Haechan which attracted the rogue Alpha’s attention in the first place, and they would all be correct. But their body language tells Taeyong that there is more. Much more.

Young love.  _ Adorable _ .

Koeun is around the same height as Irene, her eyes kind and her smile pleasant. And although she appears to be a gentle soul, Taeyong knows better than to assume that she would spare any of the gentleness to enemies. His parents knew her father from when they worked with the Jung pack. He has always been one of the pack’s most ruthless and resourceful fighters. He supposes that it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume her to have learned her father’s ways at some point.

Last but not least, Jaehyun’s second, Soojung. Taeyong knows that she is the third oldest among the four Jung siblings, an age gap of five years separating her from Jaehyun. She is not someone who likes to engage, but that doesn’t mean that she is not paying attention. He’d say that she is by far the most observant out of all of them and with her being the oldest pack member as well as a born wolf having grown up in a rather big and infamous pack, she possesses experience and expertise which could decide over either a pack’s rise or downfall. Just like her siblings, she was born with natural beauty underlined by sharp features and a fire in her eyes which seems untamable.

“...is there anything else you’d like to know about the pack?” Jaejoong’s conclusive question effectively draws Taeyong’s attention away from the members of the younger pack and back to the older emissary.

“Not specifically about the pack, no. At least nothing which can’t wait until we’re starting to lay out plans,” Taeyong smiles politely before his gaze finds Jaehyun. “Have you thought about what to do about Park Yumi?”

When Jaehyun merely looks at him inquisitively, the human continues. “Such a hefty bounty will only stop drawing in attackers when the one who is supposed to do the payout is dead or enough people have died trying. If we want to get rid of Park Yumi, we will have to prepare for a war. Her family has birthed and raised hunters over several decades.” 

“With a bounty that high, I’m not sure whether waiting for everyone to give up on their own is a good idea,” Jaehyun admits. “I’m surprised no one has attacked me yet.”

“They are planning and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have already started observing you,” Taeyong supplies. “Your pack got quite the reputation. They know that your brother, and therefore also your initial pack, got your back and they’ve of course heard of the fights you’ve won. You are a good Alpha, young and also inexperienced in some aspects but more than competent and strong enough to get your pack out of battles unscathed. Four of your five betas are born wolves and your emissary is a banshee.”

Jaehyun can’t help but raise his eyebrows questioningly as he listens to Taeyong list his pack’s information. “Those things are known about my pack?”

“As I said, you got quite the reputation and it’s in my interest to inform myself about these things either way,” Taeyong says with a light shrug of his shoulders. “They won’t come unprepared, which might give you some time to come up with a plan of your own if you decide to get rid of the matriarch.”

Jaehyun catches his brother turning to look at him out of the corner of his eye and when he faces him, the older man is giving him a significant look. “It’s your call, Jaehyun. What you say, we do.”

A knot forms in Jaehyun’s throat as he thinks about what his answer might kickstart and bring upon not only himself but also his current and initial pack. But he knows that with someone like Park Yumi wanting him dead, he would have to get her before she manages to get to him, or else she might get to the people around him anyway. “We need her gone.”

His gaze automatically wanders to Taeyong who, despite the impact of what Jaehyun just said, is sporting an easy smile which irritates the young Alpha to no end considering how heavily the potentially fatal decision weighs on him. “Good.”

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow in return, mildly sneering because of how high the tension within him is. “Is it? You said that if we’re going to go after her, we will have to prepare for a war.”

The way Jaejoong narrows his eyes at him for the tone he uses makes him want to backpedal but Taeyong’s voice effectively shuts him off.

“Well,” there is something determined, almost cocky, in the way the human grins at him in return and it makes the Alpha within him rumble slightly. “I can help you win any war, if you give me a chance. How well we do will depend on how well we work together as well as how accepting you are of me and my plans.”

He cannot fathom why Taeyong takes this so lightly, talking about everything as if it’s one big game for him and the almost blasé attitude only manages to aggravate him further. A lot of lives are at stake, so why does Taeyong not seem to worry about them one bit?

“Full acceptance, just like trust, needs to be earned,” he retorts. “And even if you are as good as you claim to be, I’d appreciate it if you took the lives within both packs which we’re about to risk more seriously. Do you always have fun in putting the lives of the people you work for at risk?”

The man cocks his head to the side at that, both hands now disappearing into his pants pockets and his face void of any politeness. “Just to be very clear. I never take other people’s lives and safety lightly. You’re mistaking the confidence I have in my abilities as well as the trust I have in what you, your brother and your packs are capable of with nonchalance over the threat to your lives. You’re making assumptions about my character, which is understandable since we’ve met only a few minutes ago. But for the future, I would like for you to just ask me before assuming my feelings or thoughts. You could’ve easily asked me why I don’t seem worried or why seem so confident instead of drawing your own conclusions and running with it. Also, I don’t work  _ for  _ people, I work  _ with _ them and assist them. As for the acceptance of people, if they have decided to welcome me as a temporary addition to their lives, I am dead set on doing my job no matter what. But limiting the trust in me also limits my freedom and capacity. I don’t mind working for acceptance and trust, but you will need to give me a chance to do so.”

The vehemence in the human’s statement is, mildy put, surprising and Jaehyun finds himself momentarily stunned into silence. A glance at the older Jung pack’s leading three makes him raise one eyebrow challengingly as they look like this is the most amusing day they’ve had in years although the Alpha pair at least tries to hide their smiles upon getting caught by facing away from him discreetly. Sooyeon, on the other hand, actually grins a little wider once their gazes lock.

Taeyong’s defiance is, for some odd reason, quite fascinating. The way he stands up for himself despite being in someone else’s territory is irritating yet intriguing alike.

Staring right into the other man’s eyes, Jaehyun takes his time in assessing him and while a lot of people would have avoided his inquisitive gaze by now, the fire in Taeyong’s eyes seems to be flaring brighter the longer he holds his gaze.

_ Huh. _

“How did you survive this long talking to Alphas the way you do?” There is no real heat behind his words and Taeyong must have detected the slight change in the atmosphere, because his gaze loses some of its fight.

“I don’t make it a habit to go around aggravating Alphas for no reason. If I talk back, it’s because I deem it necessary,” Taeyong offers. “And I’ve not only learned to protect others, but also myself.”

Jaehyun’s gaze wanders down to the other’s light grin for a brief second before it lands right back on Taeyong’s eyes. “So, how do you want to do this?”

Jaejoong and Yunho exchange a glance along with a quick smile of relief with the others in the room visibly sharing their sentiment. Even Soojung allows for the corners of her lips to lift into a small, private smile.

“You don’t have to change anything about your daily routine. Just do what you always do,” the human says lightly. “And I’ll just be there making sure that you remain unharmed until we can do something about Park Yumi. I will try to stay close by during the night in case anything happens, since the bounty on you is pretty high and increases the risk immensely and most people will most likely assume nighttime to offer the best chance for an attack.”

“What are you thinking of?” Jaehyun raises his eyebrows in wonder. “Camping outside of mine and Soojung’s house?”

“If that’s what it takes, sure.”

There is no trace of humor in Taeyong’s voice and Jaehyun finds himself rendered speechless for a brief second before he settles on letting out a sigh. “We have a spare room.”

It’s not quite an offer, but Taeyong understands the implication nevertheless. He shoots the Alpha a pleased smile.

•••

“What do you think of him?” Comes Soojung’s question as she puts clean sheets on the bed in the spare room while Jaehyun busies himself with the pillow and the blanket.

“He’s,” Jaehyun sighs. “Something. What about you?”

“He seems to know what he’s doing. I think he’s more than capable of protecting you,” she shrugs in return, merely standing back to look on once she’s done with the bedsheets. “And throwing wolfsbane into your face if you piss him off enough.”

The glare she throws his sister’s way for the remark is merely met with a playful grin. He then looks back at the buttons of the duvet cover as he buttons them up one by one, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“He would do it, wouldn’t he?”

He only gets a snort in return.

•••

“Thank you for welcoming me into your home,” is the first thing Taeyong says as he enters the house Jaehyun and Soojung share, his gaze wandering around for a few moments before it’s back on the siblings standing in front of him.

If it was anyone else, Jaehyun might have assumed them to simply have admired the house, but there is something calculating in Taeyong’s eyes which makes him believe that he is scouting the surroundings for more significant purposes.

“Would you like to have a look at your room?”

Taeyong shakes his head at that. “That can wait. I think we should talk about some details first.”

“Sure,” Jaehyun agrees easily before gesturing towards the seating area in the living room. “Please have a seat.”

The human gives him and Soojung a polite smile before stepping past them to settle down on one of the couches, placing the bag he has brought along onto the ground next to his feet as he does. He waits for the two siblings to join him before speaking up.

“I have been thinking about how much manpower we might need to be on the safe side while launching an attack on Park Yumi,” Taeyong starts. “I know that the older Jung pack is quite huge considering that they have been gaining members for a few decades now. If I remember correctly, the members are mostly scattered all over Pyeongchang-Dong since that’s the area where the pack began forming years ago and also the territory which is now under your brother’s care.”

Jaehyun nods in return. “The responsibility for Seongbuk-Dong was handed to me after I became an Alpha. They are neighboring territories, so when push comes to shove, it’s easier for us to mobilize.”

Taeyong takes in the information with a leisure nod. “If you were to do that, how many people would we have on our side?”

“Around thirty,” the young Alpha shrugs. “The older Jung pack consists of members from our mother’s generation as well as younger members who have joined shortly before or after she passed away.

Jaehyun swallows at the mention of his mother, a dull feeling slowly spreading within him as he looks down at his intertwined hands to gather himself before he looks back up to face Taeyong who looks at him almost like he can perfectly sympathize with how he feels.

When an uncomfortable silence takes over, Taeyong spares the siblings a wary glance before reaching for his bag to retrieve something, all the while being aware of the way Jaehyun and Soojung both follow his movements attentively. He then proceeds to place a thick book, which looks old enough to have belonged to people having lived decades before them, onto the coffee table.

“What is it?” Soojung asks, her eyes fixed on the object.

“Notes about different hunter families,” the human replies. “Passed down to every generation from my father’s side. It partly includes records of generations of some old hunter families and the Parks are one of them. The notes about their family ends a few years into Park Yumi taking over as her family’s matriarch so there should be enough information.”

“Why did the notes stop?”

Taeyong looks hesitant in answering as he sits back down with a haunted look. “The registrar died.”

The words come out quiet and pained, not leaving any doubt about who the registrar had been considering that the book which had been passed down to every generation of the same family is now in Taeyong’s possession.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Jaehyun is the first one to speak and although losing one’s parent is not something he is happy about having in common with someone else, he feels like it at least creates one base of mutual understanding between them.

Taeyong shoots him a genuine smile in return.

And although he is still wary of the other man and fully expects the two of them to clash with each other more often than anyone would like in the future, he finds that the thought of letting him close to his pack at least doesn’t cause a wave of anxiety to run through his veins anymore. If Taeyong is as good as his words and family history suggest, then Jaehyun is more than willing to put up with some headache.

•••

Once Jaehyun has taken the steps downstairs, he spots Soojung and Taeyong already sitting by the dining table with the former nursing a cup of coffee while staring at the food in front of her sleepily as her companion is looking through the book he has shown to them yesterday with an empty plate sitting right next to it.

“Good morning,” he says in passing as he heads for the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee.

  
A grumbled ‘Good morning’ from his sister as well as a more awake version of it coming from Taeyong travel through the room just as he is reaching for his favorite mug. He briefly takes a glance out of the window as he pours himself some coffee with some milk and sugar following suit.

“Any plans to leave the house today?” Taeyong asks once Jaehyun comes to join them at the table.

“Nothing besides getting groceries,” Jaehyun says before starting to dig into the food sitting on a plate by his usual seat. “You didn’t need to cook, Soojung. It was my turn.”

“It’s fine, you can take over dinner instead,” Soojung says with a yawn before eating the last bit of food left on her plate.

“Sure,” Jaehyun agrees easily before looking over to where Taeyong is running a finger over something on one of the pages. “Found something interesting?”

Taeyong hums lightly. “The Park family seized the area two neighborhoods over in Cheongun-Dong right before Park Yumi took over as the family’s matriarch and used the territory as the new headquarters. That territory used to belong to the Nam pack led by Nam Chung Ho, whose pack was forced to seek shelter in the surrounding territories after they had to flee thanks to the Park family. I remember hearing the news of Nam Chung Ho’s passing not too long ago, but his son, Nam Sung Ho, is still alive.”

“So?”

“So,” Taeyong drawls. “We could ask him and his remaining pack members for help in exchange for helping them to reclaim their territory. They are scattered all around Cheongun-Dong and have most likely earned themselves the allies-status from the packs giving them shelter by now. We will most likely not be able to convince those packs to join the actual fight, but we could at least ask for their assistance in encircling the area so none of Park Yumi’s hunters can flee.”

Disrupting his own breakfast in favor of giving Taeyong his full attention, Jaehyun tilts his head slightly. “You think we’d be able to pull that off?”

“Why not? As far as I know, both Jung packs have always maintained a good relationship to the neighboring packs and your mother was there for most of them at least once during trying times. If that’s not enough then, as I said, the Nam pack most likely earned themselves an allies-status by now and I’m very sure that the Nam pack will be more than interested in reclaiming their home and helping us convince the packs we need for this. Also, Nam Sung Ho is an Alpha who is currently living the life of a beta in another Alpha’s territory, I don’t think we will need much convincing to get  _ his  _ help.”

To say that Jaehyun is impressed would be an understatement and judging by the look of wonderment on his sister’s face, a reaction barely anything manages to pull out of her under normal circumstances, she seems to share his sentiment. Although Taeyong talks back to Alphas like he couldn’t care less for pack politics, the way he has pulled this plan together while pretty much using everyone he wants to get involved in as chess pieces to move around however he pleases by using incentives which hit their weak spots dead on shows not only how well he can play by the rules but also how well he can use them to his own advantage.

The way Taeyong’s mind seems to work is, albeit highly impressive, admittedly terrifying in some ways. A quick thinker who can use someone’s weakness to their own advantage is not someone he would personally want to cross and while his respect for the other grows, so does his wariness.

Jaehyun swallows. “I will forward the idea to Yunho. If anyone needs to contact the neighboring packs, it should be him. He was introduced to a lot of packs since young because he has always been trained to take over as the Alpha at some point, so they are more familiar with him.”

“Fair enough,” Taeyong goes right to his book and leaves Jaehyun staring at him curiously.

He can’t quite figure out what to make of Taeyong yet and although he knows that getting to know someone will, logically, take time which they might not have, he can’t help but still feel nervous. He is, like the majority of the world’s population, not void of fear from the unknown and Taeyong is like a huge enigma he's not sure he can solve.

•••

Jaehyun never thought he would find himself in the position to consider starting a talk about the weather, but here he is, five minutes into the drive to the grocery store with a very silent Taeyong by his side. He is not someone to usually mind silence, but the kind of silence hanging in the air this time around is of the odd, deafening kind. It reminds him of the waiting room at the doctor’s office where you’re surrounded by a bunch of strangers with everyone avoiding each other’s eyes or trying to not breathe too hard to avoid drawing attention.

And since the other man is obviously dealing with the silence a lot better than he does, Jaehyun settles on putting his main focus on the street ahead of them while throwing occasional glances at the man on the passenger seat whose eyes wander to the side view mirrors as well as the rear view mirror every so often, most likely to make sure that no one is following them.

At one point, Taeyong catches him looking and chooses to keep his eyes on Jaehyun even as the Alpha looks back to the front. “Do you work from home?”

“Mostly,” Jaehyun offers. “My family owns two restaurants, the bigger and older one is located in Pyeongchang-Dong and a smaller, newer one in Seongbuk-Dong although we’re looking into expanding that one in the near future. My brother runs the older one while my oldest sister is managing the new one. Soojung and I are taking care of HR and finances, so we don’t always need to be present.”

Taeyong hums thoughtfully at the information. “There doesn’t seem to be a clean cut between the territories. I heard from Yunho that the members of the old Jung pack are living in your territory without ever having gone the official route of asking for your permission to stay.”

“There is no necessity for it. The two territories have belonged together ever since my parents got married and have housed members of what we considered one pack for just as long. I would never demand for members of the old pack to ask for my permission to remain where most of them have lived before I was even born. The only reason why we had to officially split the Jung territory in two again was because having two Alphas taking care of the same territory is not always advisable. My parents managed to do it, but it was different for them.”

“Because they were mated.”

“Yeah,” he whispers softly. “They were great at being Co-Alphas and under their leadership and care, the two packs merged seamlessly. So when I became Alpha, it didn’t feel right to split the pack back into two, so I recruited new members with Soojung’s help. Beside me and my sister, the only pack members who have a connection to the old Jung pack are Koeun and Mark.”

“How did the other members get into the pack?”

“When people heard that I was looking for new pack members, a lot of people traveled from other cities and Ten and Irene were among them. As for Haechan, I don’t think I need to tell you anything about how he entered the pack. News spread far back then because a rogue Alpha was involved.”

“A rogue Alpha is unpredictable, so people were worried,” Taeyong remembers vividly just how alerted the packs in the area had been once news about the attack on Haechan started to spread, a lot of them having requested his help in gearing up for a possible fight against the rogue Alpha roaming free. “You managed to get rid of him pretty fast.”

“I had to. A lot of lives were at risk, especially Haechan’s,” a dull ache spreads in Jaehyun’s chest as he recalls just how traumatized their youngest pack member had been after getting bitten, the attack having left several psychological scars which only managed to heal as fast as they did thanks to the care Mark and the other members have showered him with.

Taeyong hums softly, his eyes now on the road.

•••

“Is this your go-to store?”

Jaehyun looks up from where he’s picking out some snacks for the pups in the pack. “I tend to switch up between this one and another, bigger one a bit further away. It depends on what I need, why?”

“It’s just good to know the places you frequent, because you can bet on it that the people going after you will find a way to gather the same information and use it against you at some point,” the human says while taking a brief look around before following the Alpha when the other man continues his journey down the aisle.

“If you need anything, just put it into the basket. You’re currently also a part of the household,” Jaehyun mumbles as he makes a face at the licorice stacked on the shelf in front of him before grabbing two bags and tossing them into the basket. “And we still need to talk about your payment.”

Taeyong raises his eyebrows at that. “Have your siblings not told you?”

All Taeyong gets in return is a look of pure confusion.

“I don’t take monetary payments for protection,” the human explains. “The things I accept payment for are either things people buy from me, like certain supplies like herbs, mountain ash and wolfsbane or my explicit help during a fight.”

“But you  _ are  _ going to help us with a fight,” the taller man argues.

“To protect you, that’s different,” before Jaehyun can come up with a retort, something from behind him seems to have caught Taeyong’s attention as he looks right past the Alpha before briefly scanning the area around them. “I think someone wants to say hello.”

Not saying anything else, Taeyong takes a hold of Jaehyun’s arm in a surprisingly strong grip to pull him along and towards a man standing at the end of the aisle. He wouldn’t have drawn any suspicion from Jaehyun personally if not for the way his body goes visibly rigid upon spotting them.

“Hello, Sir,” a smirk takes over Taeyong’s lips as he blocks the man’s path once he realizes that he is about to bolt. “The money you’re hoping to get out of this is really not worth it.”

“What are yo-”   
  
“Oh please, not this game. That’s just boring,” Taeyong steps even closer while making sure that Jaehyun is pushed closely behind him, his free hand making a swift movement towards his belt before Jaehyun catches the sight of a needle shimmering from in between the human’s thumb and forefinger, most of it hidden by the other’s sleeve. “You either leave humiliated but alive after giving me some information or I’m going to push this needle right into your veins, pumping you full of poison which will leave you with no more than 24 hours to live.”

The man swallows and looks around before grinning in false bravado. “In broad daylight at a crowded place? You think I’d believe that you’re willing to risk it all and attack me with all these people around?”

Taeyong’s smirk grows more prominent. “I’m not a fan of empty threats and don’t think you’ve got it figured out what I dare or won’t dare do. The needle is small, it won’t even draw a significant amount of blood to catch anyone’s attention. And people like you are usually not very interested in getting in contact with the police, so I just know that you’d rather shut your mouth and try to get help from your people instead of drawing any attention to yourself by asking the people here. So what do you have on me, really? Nothing.”

The way the man stares at Taeyong afterwards makes Jaehyun want to rush forward and shield the human, but before he is able to move more than one step ahead, Taeyong’s grip on his arm tightens to hold him back. The lithe male merely spares him a glance before he lets go of the Alpha in favor of gripping onto the stranger’s arm just as the other tries to flee. Jaehyun can hear bones cracking as Taeyong twists the other’s arm and pulls the man forward until he is close enough for the silver-haired man to place the needle near his bare wrist, the stranger’s other arm going rigid in an obvious attempt to not trigger Taeyong further.

“I’m feeling nice today,” Taeyong whispers. “So as I said, if you agree to give me some information, I’ll let you go.”

Although it may sound like the man is being offered a choice, Jaehyun and Taeyong both know better. And judging by the defeated look in the man’s eyes, he must know it too.

“What do you want to know?”

The silver-haired man looks almost amused. “How long have you been watching him already?”

“A few days,” the stranger replies and Jaehyun tries to not let the dread he feels show on his face. “And we are not the only ones.”

“I suppose you aren’t,” Taeyong mumbles. “How many do you know of?”

The man does not reply immediately, the obvious hesitancy in giving away more information about others who might come after him if he tells too much prompting Taeyong to press the needle directly against his skin. And it works like a charm. “Three. I heard that three others have entered the area not long after we got here.”

That’s one of the things he absolutely hates about being in a big city, there is no way to properly monitor who enters the territory unless they are supernaturals who can easily be detected by equally supernatural members or acquaintances of the local pack.

Nodding, Taeyong loosens his grip on the man steadily until the other can free himself and walk away hastily without a backwards glance. It’s not until he is out of sight that Taeyong puts the needle back into what Jaehyun now discovers to be a small pouch attached to his belt, the sight of it soon being blocked by the oversized shirt the human is wearing.

Jaehyun swallows. “How did I not notice them watching me? I’m-”

“An Alpha with heightened senses, not a psychic,” Taeyong argues. “I know how these people work and normally, they would never get this close to you during an observation. This one was simply dumb enough to get caught.”

And although the uneasiness in his chest hasn’t lifted fully, Jaehyun still feels less guilty than he has felt a minute ago.

“Let’s finish up and go back, there are some things I want to ask and the two of us also need to talk about something later.”

The last bit causes Jaehyun to look at the human inquisitively, but the other merely shakes his head in response, obviously in a hurry to get out of there thanks to the earlier incident. “Later, it’s not urgent.”

•••

A familiar sense of calmness settles back in his heart once Jaehyun steps through the front door of his home. 

The car ride had been silent for the most part because Taeyong had been too busy making sure that no one was following them back to the house to hold any proper conversation and with nothing there to distract him, the uneasiness which never left him fully had more than enough time to creep back bit by bit.

The front door had just clicked shut when he sees Soojung storming downstairs with worry written all over her face and Jaehyun can’t help but regret giving her a call to inform her about their encounter at the grocery store. His sister might have gotten less worried if he had been there to tell her everything face to face; be the living proof that he is more than fine.

“Did they follow you there?”

“They didn’t,” Taeyong says as he helps Jaehyun carry the groceries into the kitchen. “Not today, at least. No one was trailing after us today when we headed out and he did say that he’s been observing Jaehyun for a few days now, so he might’ve seen him go to that grocery before. How frequently do you go there?”

“We often buy some fresh things like vegetables and fruits from there because the younger betas often come here after school to hang out or get tutored,” Jaehyun explains before starting to pile the bags of snacks in his sister’s arms once she joins them in the kitchen.

“And the kids can eat,” Soojung mumbles to herself as she carries the snacks over to the seating area before dumping them into the basket which still harbors some chocolate, only making her way back to them when she has organized them properly.

Taeyong hums shortly, a thoughtful expression on his face as he hands the groceries over to Jaehyun and Soojung one by one without even looking at them and it’s not until Jaehyun clears his throat that Taeyong finally takes a look at the bags in front of him and realizes that they are actually empty.

Having fully snapped out of his thoughts, he turns to Jaehyun abruptly. “Does Irene know how to do magic? I know that banshees have powers of their own which do not necessarily have anything to do with magic as we know it, but they have a general access to the supernatural and therefore also to the ability to do some basic magic.”

“She doesn’t know how to do that,” Jaehyun admits. “The only person who would’ve been willing to teach her how to use her powers died when she was really young and the rest of her family didn’t really like what she was and took her whole existence as a bad omen. Once she entered my pack, I made sure to ask Jaejoong to teach her everything he knows about banshees. She instinctively knew how to use her banshee scream and her sensitivity to supernaturals. She can sense, seek out and identify other supernaturals from a great distance and managed the control over psychokinesis and psychometry a while back. She’s currently working on sound divination.”

“We can work with that,” the human notes. “If supernaturals decide to join and come after you because of the bounty, Irene would be able to sense them. As for the human bounty hunters, I think sound divination could help.”

“Won’t she need something of theirs for that?”

At that, Taeyong merely grins back at Jaehyun before pulling something out of his back pocket. It’s a red string bracelet. “She sure does.”

“Is that-when?”

“I pulled it off his wrist when he fled.”

Getting to know Lee Taeyong is currently threatening to turn into a never-ending cycle of surprises and Jaehyun doesn’t quite know yet whether he appreciates that. He was right there, witnessing everything transpire before his eyes and yet Taeyong managed to somehow do something without his knowing.

“If she’s at a good level, she will easily be able to get visions of the owner of the bracelet once a sound resonates from it,” the silver-haired man muses. “I think dropping it with its gold charm facing down is our best chance at making sound with it.”

Jaehyun eyes the object skeptically but nods in agreement nevertheless. “Irene will most likely be here in a bit along with the kids. She tutors Haechan and Koeun in biology and Mark has another maths tutor session with Soojung today.”

“That’s good,” while placing the bracelet back into his pocket, Taeyong proceeds to give Jaehyun a look stern enough to make his inner wolf take a defensive stance. “What happened earlier in the grocery store, the part where you wanted to rush forward and protect me, needs to never happen again. I know how strong your instincts are to protect others, but I can’t protect you properly if your first reaction to a threat is to place yourself in front of me.”

Heat starts to rise in his body and Jaehyun tries his hardest to remain calm because he knows that Taeyong is right and that he means well, but it’s the way he makes him feel like a chastised child which riles him up. He briefly catches Soojung letting out a sigh from next to him as if she knows what Taeyong has just triggered.

“Fine with me,” he bites out, sounding so petulant that he can’t help but get angry at himself as well for sounding so utterly childish. Clenching his jaw, Jaehyun chooses to walk away with calm and calculated steps, not stopping until he is in his room.

Downstairs, Taeyong’s gaze is lingering at the staircase long after Jaehyun has disappeared upstairs. “I was being too harsh, wasn’t I?”

“For someone who deals with packs a lot, you’re awful at this,” Soojung doesn’t sound particularly mad, just a little forlorn.

Taeyong averts his eyes away from the stairs to look at her instead. “I just-I never had to teach someone how to deal with having me there. Most of the people I work with are experienced people who set boundaries of their own whereas I work with whatever I got. But with him...it’s different.”

“Because he is inexperienced in comparison and you are the one who needs to set boundaries,” the black-haired woman concludes, her gaze softening a little when he nods in return while looking a little lost himself. “He is not that hard to work with once you figure out how to. He still has trouble fighting against his Alpha instincts because he wasn’t born with them, which makes it hard for him to take advice or any other form of help from others, much less trusting them. But he’s trying and I think until now, he’s been very accommodating despite his wariness of you. Just cut him some slack, can you do that?”

Upon catching her looking at him almost pleadingly, Taeyong makes sure to give her a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I can do that.”

He catches the first hint of a smile on her lips as she walks past him with a pat to his shoulder before settling down on the couch to rummage through the basket of snacks on the coffee table, pulling a grimace when she comes across the two bags of licorice. “Godawful licorice.”

“He doesn’t seem to like them either.”

“Oh he hates them,” Soojung confrms. “But Mark loves them, so he always makes sure that we got those here.”

A small, adoring smile finds its way onto his lips. Although there are quite a few, mostly miniscule, things he still doesn’t quite appreciate about the Alpha’s behavior, there is one thing he can wholeheartedly admire about him and that’s the genuine way he cares for others. From getting defensive when he thought that the risk his old and current pack would be under wasn’t taken seriously enough by Taeyong over the way he pretty much rushed into a fight with a rogue Alpha just for Haechan’s sake to him doing little things like making sure that the youngest in the pack are always well-fed; it’s less of a redeeming characteristic but more of a strength of character which makes sticking around a pleasure; rather than a task.

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to the mods who have always been very understanding about my concerns and also generally for the great and hard work they are doing to make this possible.


End file.
